About Thought Stretchers

What if you could share ideas and thoughts about education and professional learning with other educators, leaders, researchers, and stakeholders without the toxicity and noise of social media platforms like Twitter/X?

From pedagogy to culture war issues and everything in between, ThoughtStretchers is a community of educators—and those who value education—cutting through the noise of Us v. Them tribalism to think deeply and question complex challenges in Pre-K12 education.

Our Mission Question:

How can we grow a reality-based community to productively discuss important, sometimes uncomfortable ideas in education?

Vision:

To advocate for and foster practices of objective pluralism among educators and with stakeholders and students in order to advance knowledge and best practice.

“Do not block the way of inquiry.” ― Charles S. Peirce 

About Drew Perkins

As ThoughtStretcher’s Director of Professional Development and co-host of The ThoughtStretchers Education Podcast, I help design and deliver workshops and learning internationally both on-site and virtually, and coordinate PD work with our team. A graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Political Science in three years, I was decidedly against the idea of being a teacher. With a mother and grandmother both educators, a stint as a substitute teacher lured me back to earn a teaching certificate in secondary social studies. Thus began a journey that included 15 years in the classroom and educational leadership in Michigan, California, Texas, and most recently Kentucky and spanned middle and high school, Special Education to Advanced Placement, and basketball and golf coaching.

A good friend once light-heartedly referred to me as a professional thought stretcher so here we are.